Cautious Mood, War Clouds, 3G Setbacks Dampen Spirits at CeBIT

摘要

Broadband technologies, mobile communications products, wireless local area network (LAN) features and security-related products were the main themes of this year's CeBIT trade show. Attendance was down at the show, the largest European exhibition of information technologies. The crisis in Iraq evidently discouraged many from attending the event, which took place from March 12 to March 19 in Hanover, Germany. Deutsche Messe AG, sponsors of the event, reported attendance of 560,000. Organizers had expected 600,000. Last year's show drew 674,000 visitors. About 7,100 companies from 59 countries around the world participated in the show. Chinese exhibitors took up a greater amount of exhibition space than at last year's show. The mood of this year's event also dampened by some pessimism related to so-called third-generation (3G) mobile phone services. In some European countries, mobile phone service operators have abandoned or suspended the 3G mobile phone services.